VIRTUAL JEWISH MUSEUM

Holy Land Antiquities_

Cuneiform Tablet

This clay tablet is from Ur, birthplace of Abraham. (Genesis 11:31). The writing is 'Cuneiform' ('wedge-shaped'). It is the first writing known and was in use from 3000 BCE until the Common Era. It uses hundreds of symbols instead of letters. Generally found on monuments and in royal libraries, where it was used by scribes to keep track of royal possessions. This one is an account of various livestock. 2.5 x 2.9 cm.

Alabaster Bowl.

This small bowl is made from alabaster, a form of the mineral gypsum that was translucent and easy to carve. It was popular in Egypt. This piece has a flat base and a simple 2 line decoration interrupted by circles. Likely used for cosmetics. 8 cm diameter x 3 cm high.

Scarab

Scarabs were beetle-shaped amulets that also served as seals in ancient Egypt. They symbolized immortality. This one is associated with Thutmose III, 1485 - 1430 BCE., who is thought to be the Pharaoh of the Exodus.

Scarab. Faience

This one peraps made from a type of glazed ceramic.

Flint Knife

Flint, a type of stone, was made into tools. This one is a knife. The wide top was used to press down with fingers while cutting. This one also has a serrated edge which gave it a certain sawing capability. In Exodus 4:25 we read that Tzipporah, wife of Moses, used a stone tool to circumsise their son. Joshua did the same (Chapter 5 verse 3) to the males who had survived the desert march. This one is about 12 cm. long and weighs 18 grams.

Oil Lamp. Bronze Age. 4 wicks

These lamps are the earliest known. They are dated to the Intermediate Bronze Age (2500 - 2000 BCE). They were in use in the time of Abraham. They were made by forming a bowl on a pottery wheel and pinching 4 corners for wicks. This one is 10 cm. across and 4.5 cm. high. It weighs about 105 grams. The spouts show ancient carbon stains. Adler # 1.

Oil Lamp.Middle Bronze Age. 1 wick

In this period, 2000 - 1500 BCE, most lamps are found with 1 spout. It starts with a round bowl pinched on one side. Gradually the pinches got more pronounced creating a larger spout and less of a round shape. This one is 11-12 cm. in diameter and 4 cm. high. It weighs about 120 grams. Adler #7.

Cylinder Seal

These seals are often associated with Mesopotamia and the Assyrian culture. Carved from hematite and other stones, they were rolled into clay or wax to make a horizontal impression. Often pierced down the center, to be worn on a cord (see Genesis 38:18 for a likely reference). This one shows a scene/story and pictures a seated monarch being addressed, with animals and a special tree.

Antiquities.25.cylinder seal

Cylinder seal.white

White. Perhaps carved from bone. Thought to be Akkadian or Babylonian. Seated monarch, supplicant, animals, fantasy creatures. Pierced to be worn on a cord.

Seal Impression.Hebrew

Round seals, often carved in reverse in stone, were used to identify individuals. They were pressed into clay or wax as a form of signature, to show identity, ownership, or testimony. This is a fragment of an impression. Enough ancient Hebrew letters show to identify the owner as Negbi ben Malkiyahu. Similar seals have been found with the names of Biblical personalities such as Isaiah and Hezekiah!

Oil Lamp.Iron Age.Pinched Spout

In the Iron Age - 1200 - 600 BCE. - this type of lamp developed. This is the period of King David and would have been used at the time of the first Temple. Still made on a wheel, it has a round base, a wide rim, and very pronounced pinched sides forming a distinct spout. 22 cm.in diameter, 3 cm high. Adler # 11/12.

Juglet.First Temple

Dating from the time of the prophets to the First Temple. This small vessel would hold special liquids such as perfume or oil. Its round bottom could not stand flat. It could rest in a base of sand or be hung from the rafters by a thin rope. 12 cm tall x 8.5 cm wide.

Iron Age Jug

19 cm tall, this jug has a flat base for standing and a wide mouth. It might have been used for serving and pouring.

Stamped Jug Handle.Hevron

This handle broke off from a large jug. They are commonly found. But this one has been impressed with a seal that reads "Of the King" and "Hevron", around a winged symbol. Similar sealed handles are known naming 3 other cities. They are thought to date to the time of Jewish King Hezekiah (ca. 715-686 BCE) and may signify taxes collected for the king. The writing is the ancient Hebrew in use until the beginning of the 2nd Temple period.

Stone Projectile

This stone was found at the base of the Temple Mount. While it could be 'just a rock', its size and shape suggests it was used as a weapon. 18 cm. wide, it fits nicely in hand and could be thrown or hurled. From the piece that cracked off we can suggest that it hit something equally hard - a wall ? - when thrown. From the time of King David.

Stone Scale Weights

These are hand made stone weights, carefully carved and marked as to their value. Their flat bottoms prevent them from rolling around on a balance scale pan. Deuteronomy 25:13 cautions: "You must not keep in your pouch 2 different stones (weights) 1 large & 1 small" [that are marked the same and could be used to defraud]. There are many types of ancient weights. These are specific to the Holy Land area, generally carved from limestone. They date up to and including the First Temple period.

Weights. Engraved Hebrew Denominations

Most of the weights are marked with symbols. These three are sometimes found with the actual value, engraved in the ancient Hebrew of pre-Second Temple times. From the left they read: BeQA (half sheqel), PYM (2/3 sheqel), and NeZeF (5/6 sheqel).

Stone Weights.Unmarked

These carefully rounded stones were also ancient weights. They show no markings now but may well have had values painted on them, which wore off in the course of time.

Stone Weight.3 Gerah

Gerah is the smallest unit. 20 Gerah = 1 Sheqel. This weight is marked with 3 strokes symbolizing 3 Gerah. A Gerah is generally half a gram. This stone is light, weighing 1.3 grams.

Stone Weight.4 Gerah

The symbol on this weight signifies '4'. It is a 4 Gerah weight. This one weighs 2.7 grams.

Stone Weight.Beqa.

This weight is inscribed with the denomination 'BeQA' in 3 ancient Hebrew letters B Q A. As used in the Bible it means half, that is, half a Sheqel. That is also 10 Gerah. This one weighs 6 grams, a little heavier than the expected average of 5.7.

stone weight.Pym

7.2 This weight is inscribed 'PYM'. That is an obscure word appearing only once in the entire 24 books of the Bible. It was not well understood until this weight was found. The verse in the Bible reads: (I Samuel 13:21) : "And the charge for sharpening was a Pym". By its weight we now know that it means 2/3 Sheqel, the charge for sharpening iron tools. This one weighs 7.2 grams, a little less than the average of 7.59.grams.

Stone Weight.Nezef

The inscription reads 'NZF'. It weighs 9.6 grams, a little more than the average 9.5 for this denomination. An odd denomination until we note that it exactly matches an Egyptian unit called a Qedet. Trade between the 2 countries, and cultural influence, would have justified its use.

Stone Weight.Sheqel

A symbol shaped like a hanging fish or a Hebrew script Ayin is found on all the full Sheqel denominations. This one has 1 stroke next to it. It weighs 11.2 grams, just under the average 11.4.

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In the center of this enlarged image we can see the 'hanging fish' Sheqel symbol. Next to it on the left is one stroke, signifying 'one sheqel'.

Stone Weight.2 Sheqels

The sheqel symbol continues, this time with two strokes next to it. It weighs 22.7 grams, exactly right for 2 sheqels.

Stone Weight.4 Sheqels

At 46 grams this 4 Sheqel weight is slightly heavy although perfectly shaped. Being off a few tenths of a gram should not be surprising for this system. Virtually all these weights were made from limestone. The perfectly domed shape is distinctive for these Judaean weights.

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At 88.9 grams, this weight is close to the 91 grams expected for an 8 Sheqel weight. Instead of 8 strokes it uses an Egyptian symbol for 8 next to the Sheqel symbol.

Bronze Weights

These are similar to the limestone weights but made of bronze. These weigh 80 grams (7 or 8 sheqels ?), 7.4g (between Pym & Beqa), 5.4 g (10 Gerah ?), 3.2 g (6 Gerah), 2.5 (4 Gerah), .5 g (1 Gerah). No markings are visible.

Hacksilber.

Weighing was useful for valuable commodities. One example was weighing pieces of silver. In particular, silver was needed to fulfill religious obligations such as the annual Temple tax of 1/2 shekel of silver (Exodus 38:26) Ancient pieces have been found that were used & sometimes conformed to specific weights. They were chopped from larger ingots & are called Hacksilber. This fragment weighs 11.1 grams, just shy of the 11.4 grams that Shekel weights average. Perhaps it was supplemented.

Arrowheads

Arrowheads are commonly found, an ancient weapon of war. First made of flint, in the age of metal they were fashioned from copper and bronze, as early as 4000 years ago. Different shapes and features signify their type of use.

Flat Blade Arrowhead

The flat-blade arrowhead, made of hammered copper, is the earliest of the metal ones. It is leaf-shaped. The long tang, the thin part at the bottom, was inserted into the shaft of the arrow. The 2-sided blade has been hammered to thin edges. These were used throughout the Biblical period. 7 cm. long.

Tri-lobate Arrowhead

This triple-edged arrowhead was cast in bronze. Instead of a descending tang, it has a socket into which the arrow shaft was inserted. These were standard issue in the Persian army in the time of the first Temple. They were widely imitated by others. Narrow and sharp, they could pierce clothing and armor. 3 cm long.

Barbed Arrowhead

This is identified as Greek style, 2nd Temple period. It is flat but thick, almost triangular. It has a rib and knob on each side. Most distinguishing are the barbs at the bottom of each side. It was meant to be flesh-piercing, and the barbs made it hard to remove. Heavy, and effective at close quarters. 5.5 cm long.

Hellenistic Lamp

This style lamp is attributed to the Hellenistic period which extended from Alexander the Great to 1st century BCE. These were made in molds. Features include designs around the shoulders, a long nozzle to the wick hole, and a small protrusion on the side, a 'lug', that helped to grasp it. This was the dominant type during this period. Adler #44.

Hasmonean Lamp

These simple lamps from the same period are called Pinched Bowl lamps, made on a pottery wheel and then pinched together. They are often found in the caves in which the Hasmonean fighters hid, and are associated with the Maccabean Revolt against Seleucid rule and Hellenistic influence.

Herodian Lamp

Herodian Lamps are mostly found in Jewish areas. They were made on a wheel with the nozzle then attached. They are generally not decorated. Dated 50 BCE - 100 CE. Adler # 79.

Galilee Lamp

This style is associated with the Galilee, northern Israel. The style of decoration is different. This one has branches encircling the supply hole, which has three lines bordering the rim. Adler # 322.

Herodian 'Pilgrim Flask"

This shape is often called 'Pilgrim Flask' because small ones were used in travel. But this is large and bulky. It was a household item for water and the like. Its bottom is round and couldn't stand. It was probably suspended by rope from the house rafters. It is from the Herodian period - 50 BCE to 100 CE. 21 x 24 cm.

Stone Cap

There were select individuals who tried to live in a constant state of ritual purity. That included not touching impure things or eating foods that had been exposed to impurity. The rabbis taught that stone could not become impure, so there was an industry producing housewares from stone, like this bottle stopper.

Antiquities.67.jug and cap

Here we see the stopper closing this bottle. That prevented the contents inside from becoming impure.

Bottle and cap

This small Herodian period bottle, or jar, is 12 cm. tall and about 4 cm. wide at the mouth. It stands up on its flat base. The stone cap fits nicely on it as well.

Daroma Lamp.Grapes

A sub category of Herodian lamps is the group of 'Daroma' lamps, associated with the south of Israel. This one is decorated with bunches of grapes, one of the fruits Biblically identified with the Holy Land. Adler # 309

Glass Bottle With Handle

Israel was a major glass producer in antiquity. Glass blowing was practiced there in the Early Roman era. This delicate piece survived from antiquity with its handle intact. 11 cm. tall.

Glass Set

Not found together, these 2 glass pieces are a nice Holy Land pair. They have a greenish cast like most 'Roman' glass, with multi-colored patina and earthen residue. Probably used for cosmetics. The vial is 6 cm. tall. The dish is 8.5 cm. in diameter.

Lead sling bullet

This lead 'glandes' or 'shot' was used for throwing from a sling. Cast from lead, this one has a design of a thunderbolt. That image is associated with Jupiter. It weighs 35 grams, 3 times as much as a similar size stone. Dates to 1st - 2nd century Rome. 3.5 cm wide.

Limestone Cup

There was a thriving industry in stone vessels towards the end of the 2nd temple period. Quarries and workshops for them have been found in, and east, of Jerusalem. They were particularly important for use in avoiding ritual impurity. They were produced with hand tools. Cups bowls, stoppers, and tables have been found. This cup measures 7.5 cm. tall x 7.5 cm. across.

Roman Stylus

This is a 2nd - 3rd century Roman stylus. It is a bronze tool used for writing on a wax tablet. Such a tablet, in a wooden frame, could be re-used cheaply for record-keeping. One end is quite sharp, for scratching in the wax. The other end is flat, useful for rubbing out writing - 'erasing'. Light grooves provide a grip. 14 cm. long

Lamp.Grapes.454

A later derivation of Roman types, these lamps are attributed to the 3rd - 4th centuries. They are more oval than round, found in the south. The filling hole is large, the wick hole a small projection. Grape vines encircle the lamp, with a triangular decoration at the top. Adler # 454.

Lamp With Filler

The oil reservoir in the body of the lamp was limited. A supplemental reservoir could extend the life of the flame. Hence the Mishna Shabbos (2:4) states: "One may not pierce an eggshell, fill it with oil, and put it over the mouth of the lamp to drip down" (when setting it up for the Sabbath, since it may be removed or tampered with on the Sabbath.) This eggshell is modern.

samaritan Lamp.Trench

This Samaritan style is dated to the 4th century or so. Most notable is the closed filling hole. It was thought that this would prevent impurity. It would be broken open once actually used. It also has a deep trench leading to the nozzle. The shoulders are full of geometric designs. See Adler #788 & 725.

Samaritan Lamp.Menorah

Samaritan lamps are dated to the Byzantine and early Islamic period in the Holy Land. This one resembles early Moslem lamps, pear-shaped with a trench on the nozzle. A frequent design, shown here, is a 7 branched Menorah on each shoulder, and branches. A symbol on top is not identified. Adler # 876, 879.

Ring. Relief Image

Jewish law is concerned about images, especially of people. The 2nd commandment states "Do not have any other gods before Me. Do not make representations with carved statues or pictures...". Based on this are a variety of laws regarding images. This ancient Greek ring shows a bust in relief - that is, raised from the surface. It makes an impression that would be sunken below the surface. The raised image would be objectionable, the impression less so.

Ring. Incuse Image

This ancient Roman ring shows an image of a whole human being. It is incuse, meaning engraved below the surface of the ring. When impressed into wax or clay, it would create an image in relief, raised above the surface. The Talmud (Avodah Zarah 43a) tells of finding a ring with an image on it and needing to deface it.

Samaritan Lamp.Menorah

Samaritan Lamp.

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Hasmonean Lamp

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